


With The Wave of A Wand

by Plus3Charisma



Series: With The Wave of A Wand -  Avengers At Hogwarts [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hogwartsvengers, M/M, Quidditch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 11:05:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4433132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plus3Charisma/pseuds/Plus3Charisma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The very beginnings of the Avengers gang at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.<br/>Tony is trying to figure out how to make his brooms go faster, Steve is still confused about how the pictures are moving, Thor wants to break a Quidditch world record, Clint keeps finding new ways into the kitchens, Natasha is oddly good with the dark arts, and Bruce just wants to find a good place to read.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

-Anthony Stark-

At the top of an old hill, at the very end of a cobblestone path, there was a house. With large glass windows, turrets that pointed at the very top, and large trees surrounding on all sides, the house was the only thing for miles on miles. Any passers-by might think the house itself went on for miles; even the strange colored flowers in the gardens seemed to demand respect from their viewers. But no passers-by ever saw the house, because no one except for the residence and their guests knew the settlement was even there at all.

Inside the home were lush carpets with intricate designs that seemed to match the exquisite drapery perfectly, paintings were set in golden frames, walls lined with award plaques, shelves home to many trophies, and even the resident inventor’s workshop was filled to the brim with tools, gadgets, gizmos, and doodads.

In his dad’s workshop, four-year-old Tony Stark was busy inventing, and with a few small puffs of black smoke and the crackling of a little bit of lightning here and there, Tony had made his first wand. Six inches long, meant for his small hands, made of maple with a feather he got from the phoenix in his mom’s menagerie of magical creatures.

By the next morning, Tony and Howard stood side by side on the front page of the Daily Prophet, the moving picture showing off Howard smiling proudly as Tony levitated a feather with his homemade wand.

Wizards everywhere already knew about Howard of course, he was the founder of Stark Innovations, makers of the finest magical gadgets in the wizarding world. But now, they all knew about Anthony, his prodigy of a son. By the time Tony was 8 he made his very own broom, and his mom, the world famous Quidditch player she was, got him the best flying coach money could buy in order to celebrate.

Now, 11 years old, Tony was focused on making his sixth wand. More powerful than any of the previous models, this one was rosewood, perfect for his Charms and Transfiguration work. Sure, rosewood was a bit girly, but it’s considered one of the more powerful woods. But what really made the wand unique was what was inside, a Unicorn tail hair wrapped tightly around a feather taken from the same Phoenix as his very first wand.

At the beginning of July, Tony had made the front page of newspapers all over the wizarding world for his invention of the very first wand with more than one core material and had received the Order of Merlin, Second Class for his advancements in the wand-making field. But Tony didn’t care about that, not at all; this was the summer he was getting his Hogwarts letter.

So when Howard and Maria were sitting in the library of the manor, and Howard’s Great Horned Owl flew in through the open windows with an envelope in its beak, no one was surprised that it was adorned with the Hogwarts wax seal. And inside, Melinda May, Deputy Headmistress, said that they awaited their owl by no later than July 31st. So, with a quick, but formal response, Tony and his parents sent the owl back to Hogwarts to let them know to expect Tony at the beginning of September.

That afternoon, Tony and his mother went out to Diagon Alley to get brand new robes, a new winter cloak, all of his school books (and a few extra for light reading), a few sets of crystal phials for his potions, plenty of potion ingredients for his private experiments, and a few other things that were on the list of supplies he’d need for the school year.

Of course there was also the matter of what animal he’d be bringing with him to school, and despite his father’s insistence, Tony stuck by his decision to not get an owl. Instead, Tony would be bringing his two dragons. So small that the both of them could fit into one owl cage, Tony had hatched the eggs and enchanted them to stay small all on his own (ok maybe with some help from his mom). After all, it wasn’t safe for a 7-year-old to hatch, enchant, and train dragons alone, and Maria, on top of being a world-class Quidditch player, was interested in all kinds of magical creatures.

Now, all Tony had to do was wait one month and he’d finally be off on the Hogwarts Express.

-Steven Rogers-

Steve had been spending his summer vacation with his best friend, Bucky Barnes. Last year, Bucky had been accepted into a boarding school hours away, and since then Steve had only seen him over winter break. So they were determined to spend as much time together as possible.

On July 4th, the pair had decided to go to Coney Island and watch the fire works to celebrate Steve’s birthday. After the incredible show the two had each gotten a pretzel from a street vendor and made their way back to Steve’s place where Sarah, Steve’s mom, would no doubt be waiting with a small cake to celebrate her son’s 11th birthday.

The one thing Steve couldn’t figure out was why, whenever he asked Bucky about his new school, the older boy would tell him to forget about it and that his school was boring. All Bucky would say about the school is that they all had to wear stupid uniforms and the history teacher was so old and boring he might as well be dead.

When Steve and Bucky got back to the Rogers’ small apartment to see a woman sitting with Steve’s mom, both sipping tea, the last thing Steve expected was Bucky saying, “Professor May, what are you doing here?”

The woman stood and walked over to the two boys, almost surprised herself to see Bucky here. The woman had her hair neatly pulled back and she was no doubt pretty, but Steve found her a bit intimidating.

“Mr. Barnes, I wasn’t aware you and Steven were friends. I think this should make things a lot easier in helping him adjust to things.” The woman spoke in a very even voice, seemingly very confident. Though, it didn’t help Steve to be any less confused.

“Steve, Professor May teaches at the school Bucky goes to and she’s here to offer you a place at their school.” Steve’s mom said in her usual kind voice, and handed him a letter written on old-looking yellow parchment.

Unfolding the letter Steve read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL_   
_of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_   
_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock,_   
_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Rogers,_   
_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._   
_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_   
_Melinda May,_   
_Deputy Headmistress_

Steve looked between Bucky, the woman who Bucky called Professor May, and his mom, and asked, “Is this like a joke or something?”

Professor May gave Steve a small smile before looking at Bucky with a knowing look, “No Steve, Hogwarts is very much a real place. It’s where Bucky now goes to school.”

“My mom is a witch.”

Steve looked at Bucky, almost not believing his friend was still trying to play up this joke, “I’m a wizard, and so are you.”

“You have to be kidding,” Said Steve, Bucky was always a joker, but to get his mom to be in on it? She was just sitting on the couch, happily sipping her tea as she read another piece of parchment.

With one small smile Professor May turned to Bucky and said, “I’ll let you explain everything, I expect once everything is sorted we’ll get a reply?”

“Yes ma’am, we can use my mom’s owl.” Bucky replied, and smiled as the woman patted him on the shoulder lightly.

Turning to Sarah, Professor May thanked her for the tea as Sarah walked her to the front door, thanking her again for bringing Steve his letter in person.

“Bucky, what kind of joke are you pulling?”

“Steve, this isn’t a joke, here,” Bucky explained, as he pulled, what looked like a long, thin, wooden stick out of his jacket, handing it to Steve, “this is my wand. My mom and I got it last year when I got my letter.”

“This is wonderful news, Steve. You’ll be going to the best magical school there is. I couldn’t believe it myself when she turned up here saying you’d been accepted into their school, but then she levitated the tea cup and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” his mom said. Steve couldn’t believe she was still going along with Bucky’s joke.

Taking his wand back in hand protectively, Bucky said, “You’ll love Hogwarts, Steve. I hated not being able to tell you about it, because I thought you weren’t going to have any magic, but now I have to tell you everything.”

“Just a minute you two, Bucky, I’d like to talk with your mom about this school and make sure we can get everything on this list before the school year starts.” Sarah was obviously concerned about how to get a hold of some of these supplies, holding up the parchment she had been looking at earlier, Sarah handed it to Steve, “I wouldn’t know where to get something like a cauldron or any of these books.”

“Oh that’s no problem, my mom knows where to get all of this stuff, and Steve can use all of my books from last year, I already got all new ones for this year.”

Steve’s head seemed to be spinning, how in the world were they not dropping this joke?

“I think I’ll give her a call while you two enjoy some cake.”

As Sarah chatted away on the phone with Bucky’s mom, the boys sat at the kitchen table each eating a bit of cake as Bucky went on and on about his school. “You’ll love it there Steve, all of the paintings move and talk to you, I bet you could make your drawings do that once you get good enough. And the school is this great big castle with moving staircases.”

Steve rolled his eyes as Bucky explained the school, still not believing him one bit.

“Well it’s all set, this weekend we’ll be going to get you boys your things for school.”

Steve didn’t believe a single word of it until he stood and watched as Bucky’s mom tapped her wand against the old brick wall in the alleyway behind an old book shop and the bricks pulled away and formed a great big archway. In front of them was a cobblestone path filled with people shopping in long cloaks of all different colors. The four went down the alley, looking in the windows and going into old looking shops that stood at odd angles.

All at once, Steve realized that this wasn’t a joke in the slightest. And before he could really start to let everything sink in, Bucky had dragged him down the alleyway to look at the new flying brooms in a shop window. Bucky was finally old enough to get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and he’d make damn sure his broom was good enough to keep up with Thor, the team captain.

For the rest of the day, Bucky and his mom showed them around Diagon Alley, helped exchange muggle money at Gringotts, got robes, a wand, and all of Steve’s schoolbooks. Steve couldn’t wait to start school, especially now that he and Bucky would be back in the same school.

-Clinton Barton-

When Clint was 7 years old he saw his older brother waving through the window of the Hogwarts Express, his mom tearing up as her eldest son went off to learn magic where she learned everything she knew. His dad wasn’t there, saying he didn’t like magic every chance he got, and strongly disapproved of sending Charles away to that school.

His mom was a bit disappointed Barney wasn’t in Gryffindor like she had been, but either way she was proud of her son and all he was learning. After all, she was happy her son was sorted into the house known for its kindness and hospitality. That itself was something to be proud of.

When Barney wrote letters to home telling Clint all he was learning in school and how cool the Hufflepuff common room was, Clint knew he wanted to be just like his big brother. There had been no sign of him being magical so far in his life, but he knew it would happen, it just had to.

Only a few short years later, Barney was going into his fifth year at Hogwarts and Clint had turned 11 that June. It was no surprise when an owl arrived holding a Hogwarts letter for Barney in its beak, what no one expected was the second letter addressed to Clinton Francis Barton.

His mom hugged him and kissed him, congratulating him again and again. A pat on the shoulder and congratulations from his big brother, but his dad stood up from the table silently and left the kitchen.

Going over the list of things he’d need for school, Clint and his mom went to Diagon Alley that weekend to get him his supplies. Clint had been to Diagon Alley many times before. He’d always made sure he got to go whenever Barney and his mom went shopping for school or to run errands. He always liked to look around the shops and even though he never really thought about playing Quidditch, he liked the idea of being able to fly up real high and see everything down below.

The first thing he made sure to get was his wand, and in his opinion, Clint’s wand was the most fantastic wand in the wizarding world. Unicorn tail hair and made of Sycamore wood. Mr. Olivander said that Sycamore wood was always eager for new experiences, so Clint thinks him and his wand will get along just fine as they explore Hogwarts castle.

When Clint went into Eeylops Owl Emporium to look for his new owl, he had no idea there were so many different kinds. At first, Clint thought he wanted a Barn Owl, just like his brother, but none of them seemed to be any fun. Most of the owls were either sleeping or cleaning their feathers and none of them seemed at all interested in the people going through the shop.

Clint thought maybe he could get a toad instead, but when he saw a great big pair of yellow eyes, he walked closer to the cage. Reading the tag on the cage, Clint saw it was a Hawk Owl. What looked like eyebrows above the owl’s eyes, seemed to rise, as the bird’s eyes got bigger as it watched Clint. Turning it’s head on an angle, the bird seemed to be making faces at Clint, almost mocking him from inside the cage.

Laughing at the weird owl, Clint picked up its cage and went to talk to his mom to convince her that this was the pet he wanted. He even had a name all picked out, so he and his mom paid for his new pet and got ready to go home and wait out the rest of the summer.

He’d make sure Hawkeye new a few tricks before school started.

-Natasha Romanova-

Being from one of the few pureblood families left in the wizarding world, Natasha Romanov had known she’d be going away to magic school since she was little. Her parents had gone to the Koldovstoretz School in Russia and met in school. Despite both of her parents being pureblood, Natasha had been in a muggle ballet school since she was little.

Natasha would never tell her parents, but she was happy enough growing up to be ballerina instead of a great wizard, never mind her dad wanting her to be an auror like both of her parents.

So when Natasha had gotten letters from Beauxbaton and Hogwarts she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell her parents. But Hogwarts was her best chance at being an Auror, not to mention had one of the best reputations among the 11 wizarding schools.

Her parents would no doubt be sending her away to Hogwarts so that she could follow in their footsteps. She most likely would have chosen to go to a muggle dance school if it were up to her, but Natasha couldn’t say she would mind much. No matter where she learned magic she’d still want to be a dancer.

So when her mom and dad sent her off to Hogwarts, she sat comfortably on the train knowing she’d be back home and to her ballet classes before she knew it. She knew she could get through this as long as she stayed focused on her dancing, and maybe even be able to find a private place to practice.

When Professor May said her name for the sorting the crowded halls seemed to get so silent Natasha could hear her own heartbeat. Her parents were known around the magical world as being some of the best at what they did. When the sorting hat yelled Slytherin out to the crowd, Natasha knew she would have a reputation, so instead of getting mixed up in things and get in trouble she stayed quiet throughout her first year. Besides, she had her black cat, Sasha, to keep her company.

Now starting her second year, Natasha was sure this year would be as boring as her first.

-Thor Odinson-

Being from an old royal family in Scandinavia, the Odinson family was all purebloods with more money than they knew what to do with. It was no surprise when on Thor’s birthday he had gotten a letter from the Durmstrang Institute. What had come as a surprise, however, was the letter from Hogwarts also addressed to Thor. Even more a surprise, was Thor’s dad saying he would rather Thor go to Hogwarts, so that his son didn’t learn the Dark Arts.

Of course, Thor couldn’t care less, he was just excited to be learning magic and hoped he could eventually be as good as his mom, who was known for her skills with healing magic. But what Thor was really excited about was the Quidditch. He’d heard about the competitive games at Hogwarts for many years and was hoping he’d be able to make it onto the Gryffindor team.

Having met Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg in his first year, Thor had become great friends with his Gryffindor housemates. And when second year came around they all joined the Quidditch team together. Sif was one of the best Chasers in the school, and Thor was the best Beater. Together, along with their three companions, they were undefeated and were hoping to break the school’s record winning streak this year.

Of course, Thor had also become a large fan of history while at school. Not only the history of magic, but muggle history as well. He found the muggle world fascinating and asked his muggleborn and halfblood friends to tell him all about their homes. In his second year, Thor had met a Ravenclaw girl, Jane, who would help him to get a hold of any books he liked, in addition to helping him with his other school subjects that he wasn’t nearly as interested in.

Getting ready to go into their third year at Hogwarts, the group got together at Diagon Alley many times over the summer, and even started Quidditch practice in mid July.

Of course, Thor was excited for Loki to get his Hogwarts letter this year and soon be able to be sorted into Gryffindor. But when Loki also got a letter from Durmstrang he had chosen to go to the institute and study the Dark Arts, much to his father’s dismay.

Naturally, Thor had been upset that Loki didn’t want to join him, despite his claims that his younger brother would be a marvelous seeker on the house team. Loki went off to school a week earlier than Thor and wasn’t thrilled with his brother causing a scene at the train station, making sure everyone knew how upset he was to see Loki leave.

With a half sincere goodbye, Loki got on the train as Thor promised to write every week, while waving his brother off.

-Bruce Banner-

Bruce had been 6 years old when he first realized he wasn’t normal. His mom had tucked him into bed a little while ago and made sure that his night-light was on for him like she always did. But he was still wide-awake over half an hour later, listening to his parents arguing in the kitchen.

He couldn’t tell what they were arguing about, but he could hear them shouting over the news on the TV. The shouting seemed to get louder and louder, Bruce tried covering his ears with his hands. No matter what he tried he could hear his dad’s fist slam down onto the table, and Bruce’s night-light went out.

“MOM!” Bruce’s mom came quickly, and upon noticing that the light had gone out, she seemed to be relieved.

Unfortunately, Bruce came to realize that this was only the first of many things in his life that would label him as a freak. No matter what he did, Bruce couldn’t figure out any of the weird things that happened around him, like his bullies’ shoes getting stuck to the pavement.

Until he got his letter.

His dad wasn’t happy, he made that clear enough when he read the Hogwarts letter and tore it in half. Bruce’s mom told him to go to his room, and Bruce could already hear the yelling when he only got about half way up the stairs.

It was only when the doorbell rang that the arguing stopped. A woman, with neat black hair, wearing blue and black robes, stood at the door with another letter, exactly like the first, in her hand.

Of course, it took a great deal of explaining to get Bruce’s dad to agree to let him go to the magic school, but Bruce’s mother constantly told him how proud she was. It didn’t really make any difference when his dad wasn’t there when they got to the train station, all that mattered was that his mom was there with a great big smile on her face, happy that her son was going to, supposedly, the best school for magic in the world.

Using one of the school’s post owls, Bruce wrote home as often as he could, telling his mom all about his classes and the wonderful library. His mom was happiest to hear about the house sorting, and was absolutely elated when she found out he had been placed into the ‘cleverest’ of the four. After all, she always knew her little boy was brilliant.

Now, going into his third year at Hogwarts, Bruce really only had made a few friends here and there. His mom always liked hearing about Jane, another Ravenclaw who he had gotten to know after spending so much time in the library together. Though, Bruce never really thought of Jane in the way his mother seemed to think he did. After all, Bruce was pretty sure Jane had a thing for the Gryffindor Beater, Thor.

There weren’t many people that Bruce had gotten close to. He really only knew a few Ravenclaws and people he had met through Jane and Thor.

But this was his third year, and by now, Bruce knew he wouldn’t be making many new friends. He would most likely sit back and get through another year. Though, he was excited that now he could take Ancient Runes, so he expected this year to be fun, even if it was one of the classes most considered too boring to even bother with.


	2. The Journey of A Thousand Miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Train rides, sorting ceremonies, and pet dragons. Just the beginnings of an exciting first year for our heroes.

“It’s three thousand degrees in this train station!” Tony loosened his tie as he tried to ignore the people taking pictures of him and his family on the platform. It wasn’t a secret that he was going to Hogwarts and he didn’t mind the invasion of privacy all that much, but he did wish some of the newspaper photographers would have the decency to back off.

“That’s a hyperbole, dear,” Maria corrected her son, as though exaggerating was something only muggles did, though he did suspect it was a subtle reminder that he should remember his manners. Maria readjusted his tie and smoothed out his blazer, and despite her stoic expression, Tony could see her eyes watering slightly.

He desperately wanted to swat her hand away, he was too old for her fussing, but with so many people around and it being the last time she’d see him for months, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Besides, hurting Maria was like kicking a puppy, but much worse.

“Now remember to write home as often as you can and if you need us we can visit as soon as you need.” Maria hugged Tony for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning, and Tony breathed in the familiar scent of his mom’s over-priced perfume.

Maria pulled away as the train’s whistle sounded, letting everyone on the platform know there were only ten minutes till it left the station. As the perfume-scent left Tony realized it would be the last time he’d be seeing his mom until Christmas. The devastating reality of it all made Tony’s heart wrench. He and his mom had always been close, and now, in just ten minutes, he would be leaving.

“I’ll write when I can, mom. I’ll let you know tonight what house I get into.” He’d never understood why a single school was divided into different houses. It created unnecessary competition and animosity among classmates, if what Maria said was true. But, Maria herself was a Ravenclaw with a passion for potion making and flying. And of course, Tony admired his mom in every possible way and wanted to make her proud by being a Ravenclaw just like her (even though he was convinced he looked way better in red and gold).

“Tony,” Howard put his hand on his son’s shoulder, “remember what we talked about. Stay out of trouble and keep up your grades.” Of course, Tony nodded, having been through the lecture three times since he got his letter, but they both knew he could only promise good grades.

With one final hug from his mom and a whispered, “I’m so proud of you.” Tony met up with his best friend, Rhodey who he had known for most of his life. Rhodey, now a third-year Gryffindor, said his goodbyes to his parents and joined Tony to look for a compartment for the long train ride.

Tony was levitating his trunk behind him, making it follow him through the train, in his hand was a cage with his two miniature dragons, both of them fast asleep. Suddenly, Rhodey stopped in front of a compartment and pulled the door open, making Tony stop short. Peeking around his friend, Tony looked into the compartment to see two guys already sitting there.

“Hey, Bucky!” Rhodey went into the compartment and started talking with, who Tony assumed to be Bucky. Rhodey had told him about this boy, a second year Gryffindor who had made a big hit at the end of his first year by helping the older kids set off fireworks.

Tony levitated his luggage up into the compartment next to where Rhodey put his and was careful to set down the dragons’ cage on the compartment seats, making sure not to wake them.

“What are those?” Bucky’s friend, a short, blonde kid who looked like a stiff wind might knock him over, didn’t take his eyes off of the sleeping creatures.

“They’re miniature dragons,” Tony explained. Dum-E, as though he heard them talking about him, started to softly squawk, demanding their attention. “This one’s name is Dum-E,” Tony stuck his finger into the cage and rubbed underneath Dum-E’s chin, immediately soothing the little beast back to bed.

“It’s Tony’s first year,” Rhodey explained as he finished putting his trunk into the overhead compartment.

“And you already know spells?” Bucky hadn’t known how to perform any magic at all until at least his 3rd Charms lesson. Quietly, Steve panicked a bit, he hadn’t even believed any of it was real until he’d seen Diagon Alley, and he’d tried reading some of his textbooks, but he couldn’t make much sense of them. Did all of the other students know magic already?

“Yeah, I’ve been doing magic since I was little. Made my own wand and everything,” Tony pulled the Rosewood wand out from the bag that was hanging from his shoulder, and held it out for Bucky and Steve to see.

“Oh, you’re that rich super-genius,”Bucky leaned back on the cushioned bench seating, seemingly unimpressed, “yeah, I heard people talking about some celebrity coming to school this year, but I didn’t realize it was just you.”

Steve smirked a bit, knowing Bucky had just the other day shown him an article in the Daily Prophet about this guy’s new fireworks that were going to be on sale in time for Christmas.

“Its Steve’s first year, too,” Bucky continued, “I’m betting he’s gonna be a Gryffindor, best house in the castle.” Tony scoffed, his mom had told him almost all of the Gryffindors were full of themselves, not that he wasn’t of course, but Tony was arrogant because of his own accomplishments, not just because the house he was sorted into had a good reputation. “You got a problem with Gryffindor, rich boy?”

“No, I just don’t see the point in saying your house is better than any other.” Tony sighed, he really was sick of this argument; especially after the loud one he’d had with his father after jokingly saying he’d want to be a Hufflepuff. “Everyone thinks their own house is the best and everything about the others is wrong, it doesn’t make sense.”

“You have to admit, Tony, Gryffindor did have some of the most well-known wizards in history. Even Dumbledore was a Gryffindor, and he’s the best wizard of our time.” Rhodey explained.

“Of our time. Merlin, was the most famous wizard of all time, and he was a Slytherin,” Tony explained. He always hated when people thought the only great wizards could have come from their own house. He’d even had to remind his mom once or twice that Bridget Wenlock was, in fact, a Hufflepuff and that just because someone is clever doesn’t mean they have to be a Ravenclaw. “Every Gryffindor seems to forget that little fact.”

Bucky had told Steve a bit about the different houses, making sure to tell him how Gryffindor was the best and all of the bravest wizards were in that house. Though, he hasn’t heard much about the other houses other than their names. Really the only reason he wanted Gryffindor was so that he and Bucky wouldn’t be separated.

Looking out the window, Steve could only see grassy plains around them and no sign of any people. The great distance seemed to only remind him of how far from home he was and how strange this entire experience is. He leaned back in his seat and tried to calm his nerves. He even managed to get lost in one of his drawings when Bucky said they should all change into their robes, just realizing that he had zoned out and that Tony and Rhodey were eating candy from the treats cart that had come by.

All at once his nerves came back to him when, while changing into their robes, Bucky said they would be separated until dinner, and would be able to talk after the sorting ceremony. He was kind of happy that he had met Tony, so that he wouldn’t be entirely alone as the first-years were brought up to the castle.

Following the giant man into the boats, the first year students made their way across the bay. He could hear the “ooo”s and “aaah”s as the castle lit up the water, seemingly to magically break through the darkness of the night and act as a beacon over-looking the lake. After the boats docked the group of first years walked up the stone stairs where Professor May was waiting, her hair neatly pulled back, with a rolled up scroll of parchment in her hands.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she said. “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony that every Hogwarts first-year has to go through, and while you are here, your houses will be something like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room, each one unique to its house.

“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has it’s own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While here, your achievements will earn you house points, any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup.

“The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all make yourselves presentable, best to make a good first impression.”

With a quick glance at Tony’s loose tie and messy hair, Professor May opened the door behind her.

“I will return when we’re ready for you,” she explained, “Please wait quietly.”

She left the chamber, the first-years nervously, but quietly, chatting amongst themselves.

“How do they sort us into the houses?” Steve turned to Tony, figuring someone who knew about the wizarding world must know.

“Probably some kind of test. My dad made it sound like you have a choice where you end up.” Tony explained, not really having thought about it until now.

Steve felt his stomach drop worse than it did when he and Bucky rode the Cyclone at Coney Island. How was he supposed to take a test if he didn’t know any magic? Steve really hoped he wouldn’t be going after Tony, because he would no doubt look even worse going after someone who can make their own wand. Steve had half a mind to ask Tony if he could teach him a spell really quickly before Professor May came back, but Tony had reached into his robe pocket and held his wand in his hands. Steve was pretty sure that no one else was paying any mind to Tony, as most of them looked as terrified as Steve felt, but Tony kept rotating his wand in his hands over and over.

If Steve had to guess, he’d figure it was a nervous habit. Though, Tony showed no other signs of being nervous. His face was stone cold as he stared at the door Professor May had disappeared behind.

“How you been, Tony?” Steve jumped back as a skinny blonde boy slid his arm around Tony’s shoulders.

“Hi Harry.” Steve tried not to stare at the two, wondering how they know each other. He also tried not to notice how Tony looked like he wanted to shove the guy away and push him down the stone stairs.

“So, I don’t suppose I’ll be seeing you in Slytherin? Would be such a waste if you wasted your time in Ravenclaw with those crackpots. Or god forbid Gryffindor, just a bunch of dumb jocks surviving off of a Quidditch high if you ask me.”

Steve clenched his fists, ready to punch this jerk in the face. He didn’t know much about this school, but he knew Bucky was a Gryffindor and that was proof enough he needed to teach this jerk some manners.

Before Steve could even open his mouth, Tony shoved the guy to the side.

“Shut up, Osborn. You wouldn’t know bravery if it came up and punched you in the face. I don’t care where I’m sorted as long as it’s not in Slytherin with you.” Steve had no idea who this guy was, but it was obvious that Tony didn’t like him at all.

Steve was relieved when Professor May returned through the double doors, knowing that nothing could happen between the two boys with her there.

“The Ceremony is about to start,” Professor May explained. “Now form a line and follow me.”

Steve felt like he was wearing cement shoes as he got into line behind a sandy haired boy, who looked to have a hearing aid. Bucky had said that technology didn’t work in Hogwarts so it was a wonder how this kids hearing aids could be working at all.

As the students walked through the double doors into the Great Hall, Steve’s eyes lit up as he took in his surroundings. He thought Diagon Alley was cool, but this was spectacular and strange in the best of ways. Steve assumed they were older students who were sitting at the four long tables stretching from the front of the room all the way to the back. Golden plates, goblets, and silverware were beautifully spread out on the tables and above them were thousands of lit candles hovering in midair.

Following Professor May up to the front of the room, the students gathered in front of the other professors and a four-legged stool with a ratty pointed hat. The hat was dirty and patched up in a few places.

 _Is this the test_ , Steve thought – noticing how everyone was watching the hat carefully. Briefly Steve thought back to the train and how Tony levitated his luggage, maybe they’d have to see if they could do a spell like that on the old hat.

Professor May stepped forwards, unrolling the long scroll of parchment in her hand.

“When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses.” she explained, “Barton, Clinton!”

The blonde boy with the hearing aids walked up to the stool, Steve swore he saw a little bounce in the guy’s step. Professor May placed the hat on his head as he sat down and the entire Great Hall went silent for a moment –

“HUFFLEPUFF!” yelled the hat.

The table on the far right cheered and roared with applause as Clint ran over. An older boy, also a blonde, got up from his seat and went to sit near Clint. Steve could hear a quiet, “Good job, little bro,” before the room went quiet again.

Name after name was called up, and Steve was surprised by how many Hufflepuffs there were. Though, just by looking at the table they seemed to be a nice bunch that enjoyed each other’s company.

“Osborn, Harry!”

Steve watched as the same boy from before swaggered over to the stool. The hat had only been on his head for barely a second before the hat yelled out, “SLYTHERIN!”

As the table on the far left whooped and hollered, Harry went over to join his friends.

“Parker, Peter!”

A skinny, brown-haired boy went up to the stool and quietly sat down. With the hat on his head it didn’t take any more than a few seconds before the hat yelled out, “GRYFFINDOR!”

The boy grinned widely and made his way over to the table where the students were cheering and congratulating him.

“Rogers, Steven!”

Steve felt every muscle in his body tense as he stepped forward, his legs feeling like they were made of lead. As he sat on the stool, he barely felt the hat slide onto his head.

“Hmm,” Steve heard a soft voice in his ear. “Very difficult this one. Not a bad mind, plenty of talent, yes – very loyal I see. And no small amount of courage… So where to put you?” Steve could see Bucky sitting at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Steve’s house to be shouted out. He thought of how strange this all was and thought, _Gryffindor, please be Gryffindor._

“Gryffindor, huh?”

Steve heard the small voice.

Steve steadied his hands – he hadn’t even realized they were shaking. He needed to get through this. He needed to just be sorted into a house and he’d make it through, even if he wasn’t with Bucky.

“Oh yes, a great deal of determination. Better be GRYFFINDOR!”

Steve heard the last word get shouted out to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked toward the Gryffindor table, his legs felt more like jelly than lead now.

Bucky sat down next to him, still clapping loudly.

“What did I tell you, Steve! I knew you’d be a Gryffindor!”

Steve couldn’t help but smile, relieved and ecstatic all at once. The hall quieted again as more students went up to get sorted, but Steve couldn’t concentrate for a little while. Too excited to be in Gryffindor, Steve only began to pay attention again after a few students had been sorted.

“Stacy, Gwendolyn!”

A girl with short cut blonde hair smiled brightly as she walked up to the stool. The hat had barely touched her head when it yelled, “RAVENCLAW!”

"Stark, Anthony!”

Steve could hear a few people whispering all around the hall.

“Stark, did she say?”

“Hope he’s in our house!”

“Isn’t he rich?”

Steve watched carefully as Tony walked up to Professor May and sat down on the stool and he noticed that Tony had put his wand away. Steve crossed his fingers under the table, hoping that Tony would be in Gryffindor. They had only just met, but Steve liked the guy. It also would help a lot to have a friend who knew a lot about the wizarding world.

The hat took a little longer than most of the other students, but it wasn’t too long before it shouted, “RAVENCLAW!” The Ravenclaw table erupted with the loudest applause and cheering yet, and Steve watched as Tony made his way over to the table with a big smile on his face.

Only a few more students went up to get sorted after that, and the very last one was a girl with ginger red hair and a few freckles.

“Watson, Mary-Jane!”

The girl went up, put on the hat excitedly, and just like that the hat announced, “HUFFLEPUFF!”

Professor May rolled up the scroll of parchment and took away the Sorting Hat as Mary-Jane happily went over to join the Hufflepuffs.

The Great Hall quieted down once more and Albus Dumbledore, current Headmaster, stood up at the professor’s table, beaming brightly at the students, with his arms wide open.

“Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have a few start-of-term notices.

“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. Mr. Howlett, the caretaker, has also asked me to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

“Quidditch trials will be held in the third week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for his or her house teams should contact Professor Danvers.

“And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.” Steve looked around, trying to see if anyone was laughing, but even Bucky seemed a bit confused by the announcement.

“He’s not serious?” Steve whispered to Bucky.

“Has to be,” explained Bucky, frowning a bit. “He usually gives a reason why we’re not allowed to go somewhere – the forest’s full of all kinds of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. But I don’t know why we wouldn’t be allowed on the third floor.”

“And now, let the feast begin,” and with a flick of the wrist, the dishes on the table were piled high with countless different kinds of food. Roast beef, roast chicken, lamb, sausage, steaks, potatoes, fries, gravy, peas, and carrots. Even a few dishes that Steve had no idea what they were.

In all the excitement, Steve almost entirely forgot about Tony sitting at the table next to his. When Steve glanced over, Tony was excitedly talking with a blonde girl, Gwen if he remembered right.

Steve jumped when he heard someone smash a goblet against the table. Looking down to table at some of the older Gryffindors, Steve saw a giant blonde with long hair, practically yelling with a bunch of other people.

“That’s Thor, he’s the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain,” Bucky explained.

“He just looks big and scary,” Rhodey cut in, “He’s one of the nicest guys in the school, friends with almost everyone.”

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor, apple, cherry, and pumpkin pies, strawberry shortcakes, chocolate strawberries, rice pudding…

After everyone had their fill, the desserts disappeared as well and the first-years followed the house prefects out of the great hall and to the house dormitories.

Steve had only managed to see Tony quickly as the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws met up then separated at the grand marble stairs. They waved to each other then went their separate ways.

Tony, of course, was heading up to Ravenclaw Tower, the highest tower in all of Hogwarts castle. Climbing all the way up the spiral staircase, there was an eagle-shaped, bronze doorknocker. The prefect, Susan Storm explained that in order to enter the Ravenclaw Dormitory, someone needed to solve the eagle’s riddle.

The group all stood outside of the door, discussing what the answer to the riddle was.

“What is always coming but never arrives?” the eagle had asked.

The group was all stumped until a third year, that the Susan later identified as Bruce, came up the stairs and made his way to the door before quickly answering, “Tomorrow,” and walking right inside.

“Never mind him, he just has a bit of a temper and prefers to be alone most days.” Susan explained After seeing how fast Bruce solved the riddle, Tony swore he’d befriend this Bruce guy, no matter what it took. Following Susan into the common room, the first-years stood on top of a balcony. “This is the loft, as you can see, it overlooks the rest of the common room and has shelves filled with books left behind by previous Ravenclaws.” Going down the stairs to the main floor, the first-years looked over the common room that was split into two levels and was filled with all kinds of things to do like painting, chess, instruments to play, even debate podiums. “You’re welcome to use anything in here, though the piano sometimes gets upset when people mess up, and will usually start playing itself instead.”

Underneath the balcony was a fireplace, tons of seating, and more bookshelves. On the wall opposite the balcony was a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw herself, situated above a small fountain.

“The fountain is mainly for decoration, but it’s also good for potion-making. You’ll notice a lot of students brew potions and try various experiments right here in the common area,” Susan explained, “And here are the stairways to the dormitories. Girls are up to the right, boys are up and to the left. Bathrooms are down each stairwell.

“I suggest you all head up to bed, you’ll be getting your schedules tomorrow morning, and classes start the day after tomorrow.” Susan helped a few students who couldn’t find their room, and before they knew it they were all settled and going to bed.

Tony, of course, wasn’t ready for sleep. He was way too excited to finally be at Hogwarts. He sat down on his bed, making sure to pull the blue curtains closed for some privacy. He took out his parchment and quill, and started writing.

_Hey Mom,_

_Hogwarts is great so far. Rhodey introduced me to some guys on the train, one of them is also a first-year and his name is Steve. He got sorted into Gryffindor though so I wont see him a lot._

_I got into Ravenclaw and just got settled. There’s this girl named Gwen who’s also a Ravenclaw. She’s said she’s really into Potions because it’s a lot like muggle chemistry._

_Everything is going well. Say hi to dad and Jarvis for me._

_From, Tony_

He folded up the parchment, making sure it was sealed tight, and wrote his mom’s name on it. Giving Dum-E the letter, Tony sent him out to deliver the message. Tony scratched under You’s chin and said goodnight to his other little dragon before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, criticism (constructive) is always welcome as well as suggestions and theories for the future. <3 also not every chapter will be this long, i figured a hefty start would be good.

**Author's Note:**

> Any criticisms are welcome as well as any suggestions or theories about what's going to happen


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